Give Marvel Studios its due: The run of commercial and critical success its releases attained from 2008’s Iron Man to 2019’s Avengers: Endgame was an achievement arguably without parallel in film history. To sustain a continuity over that entire period without serious incidents or hiccups was a fantastic feat, especially for something as inherently silly as comic-book adaptations.
Things have been a bit bumpier since then. In 2021, I suggested that Marvel may have peaked. At the time, the Covid pandemic was still affecting all theatrical releases. But Marvel had several challenges unique to itself at the time: the end of popular storylines and characters, plans to introduce new ones that were less sure bets, trouble with the Chinese market, too much “content” (with new Disney+ shows), and the temptation to cater to prevailing elite sentiment. There have been some undeniable Marvel successes since then, but other entries have evinced an overall aimlessness and middling quality that augured ill for the franchise.
One thing I did not mention, however: Marvel’s run of good luck with on-screen talent. As Sonny Bunch pointed out, leaving aside a few fairly inconsequential casting changes, Marvel movies maintained a solid core of talent and expanded it successfully without losing any actors to serious controversy. (I obviously do not include in this category the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther.) Now, however, that may be changing. Mohan Kapur, who debuted in the Disney+ TV series Ms. Marvel and is set to appear in this year’s movie The Marvels (he was at least in its recent trailer), has been accused of sexual harassment and sharing explicit images with a female minor. And Jonathan Majors, who is taking a role (Kang the Conquerer) equivalent to Thanos in Marvel’s 2008–19 run as the “big bad” of Marvel’s current and near-future films, has been accused of domestic violence and abuse by multiple victims, according to Variety. Majors is set for a May 8 court appearance on domestic-violence charges.
We don’t know how these legal proceedings will shake out. And even if Majors faces serious consequences that lead to his withdrawal from Marvel, the studio could probably find a workaround. But amid its other challenges, personnel issues such as these may indicate that its good fortune has run out. A cycle of success begetting success can seem unstoppable — until it isn’t. Whatever Marvel’s past prosperity, its future is looking to be quite different. How different remains to be seen.